Budget PC build for Electronic Arts games under $600

I have a question of my own—I’m looking to put together a gaming PC for my son, who is currently in 8th grade. He mostly plays Electronic Arts games, nothing particularly demanding at the moment.

I am looking for some configuration suggestions in the neighborhood of $1333 (give or take a few hundred dollars). This would be for the tower only; I don't need a monitor, keyboard, or mouse included. My main goal is for this machine to remain viable for at least the next 3 to 4 years.

Our previous setup was bought as a pre-built from IBM about four years ago. It cost $1167 back then, and frankly, it hasn't performed well; it's practically useless now. That said, there might be some salvageable parts—it definitely has a decent, large hard drive plus an additional SSD.

I’m interested in recommendations for a local shop that builds custom configurations and provides a solid warranty on the assembled system.

Could you upload a screenshot from AIDA64 or Speccy so we can see the component breakdown? We should definitely keep the drive info. You could also include a photo of the case—if the model isn't listed on your receipt, just snap a picture of it. To check the power supply, try finding the model name on the invoice or the original box; if that’s not an option, you'll likely need to pop off the side panel and check the sticker on the PSU itself.

It is entirely possible that all you really need is a more powerful graphics card, perhaps some extra RAM, or something similar. Alternatively, you might be looking at a full platform upgrade (CPU, motherboard, and RAM) plus a new GPU, and potentially a new power supply.

Exactly. We might not even end up needing the full budget.

Keeping the drives and the case:

Crucial DDR4 8GB 2133 MHz P/N: CT8G4DFS8213
MSI Video Card GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC GDDR5 4GB/128bit, 1341MHz/7008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, DV
ASUS motherboard
Intel Core i5 6402

Total: $1182 Downtown

+ if you need a power supply:

https://www.tron.com/fortron-power-supply-m-600w.aspx

I guess this price might only last a few days, since it looks like a special sale.

Honestly, there's no point in overkill specs for an Electronic Arts game.

For these types of titles, disk speed and RAM capacity are what actually matter.

So, aim for at least 8GB of RAM—if you're running mods, you might want more, though that's probably unlikely.

And obviously, get an SSD. These games load constantly, and if you play for a long stretch, things slow down massively without one. An AMD Athlon II or even an i3 level processor is totally fine; anything lower would probably still not bottleneck the game.

An AMD Radeon RX 460 2GB is more than enough.

P.S. This game absolutely flew on my i3 3220 setup with an SSD and 8GB of RAM, whereas it was wayyy slower on an Intel Core i7 920 with less RAM and an old HDD. Both used an HD 7850, which is basically in the same range as an AMD Radeon RX 460.

Alright, here is the breakdown of my current setup:

http://http://i.imgur.com/9C1YLyB.jpg

Motherboard:
http://http://i.imgur.com/WTfaNJT.jpg

Memory:
http://http://i.imgur.com/7czQNS7.jpg

Graphics Card:
http://http://i.imgur.com/8UR59LY.jpg

The case is some old Micro-Star brand unit. Since about February, the USB ports have stopped working entirely, and the fan is loud enough to be a real nuisance—it definitely needs replacing. I’ll likely need to swap out the power supply and the cooling solution as well.

I am not entirely sure what processor I have or if it's even sufficient for modern needs, though it certainly feels like I'm running dangerously low on memory.

The drives are fine for now, but if I find a decent deal that fits within my budget, I might look into upgrading to a larger drive or perhaps adding another one to the mix.

Thanks to everyone for the assistance. 🙂👍

briskmaker7 said:Alright, here's my current setup:

http://http://i.imgur.com/9C1YLyB.jpg

Motherboard:
http://http://i.imgur.com/WTfaNJT.jpg

RAM
http://http://i.imgur.com/7czQNS7.jpg

GPU
http://http://i.imgur.com/8UR59LY.jpg

The case is some random Micro Center build. Since February, the USB ports haven't worked, and the fan is loud as hell—definitely needs replacing. Same goes for the power supply and cooling.

Not sure what the CPU is or if it'll cut it, but it feels like there isn't enough RAM.

Drives are fine for now, but if I find a deal within my budget, maybe swap for a bigger one or just add another?

Thanks for the help everyone. 🙂👍

Also, pop the case open and read the label, or just snap a photo so we can see what kind of PSU you're actually running.

I’d swap everything except the hard drive and SSD (until we figure out what that power supply is).

Robert Rodriguez2 said:And honestly, just open up the case and read the specs, or better yet, snap a photo of the label so we can actually identify which power supply you're running.

If I were in your shoes, I’d swap out everything except the hard drive and the SSD—assuming we figure out what kind of power supply we're dealing with first.

I'm afraid opening up the chassis might be a bit beyond my current technical skill set.🤷

I have to admit, I was overly optimistic thinking any of the parts listed above would actually be worth saving.🤔

Alright, if the plan is to replace everything except the drive and the SSD, which specific components should I be looking at?

Thanks.🙏

briskmaker7 said:Alright, I pulled my current specs together

http://http://i.imgur.com/9C1YLyB.jpg

Motherboard:
http://http://i.imgur.com/WTfaNJT.jpg

Memory
http://http://i.imgur.com/7czQNS7.jpg

GPU
http://http://i.imgur.com/8UR59LY.jpg

The case is some random MS model. Since maybe February, the USB ports haven't been working at all, and the fan is incredibly loud—I definitely want to swap that out. I need to replace the power supply and the cooling setup too.

I'm not sure what the processor situation is or if it's actually enough, but it definitely feels like there isn't enough memory here.

The drives are fine for now, but if I find a good deal that fits the budget, I might upgrade to a larger drive or just add another one.

Thanks so much for the help, everyone!🙂👍

Look, I’m definitely no expert, but I’d say your main issue is the processor—specifically the CPU cooling.
58°C is way too high, especially if that's just your idle temperature. I'm assuming you haven't even overclocked it yet.
That explains why your fan is making such a massive racket.
To me, this looks like a decent build. That CPU performs better than my old i5 750. You really just need an extra 4GB RAM stick and maybe a newer graphics card. Plus, you obviously need someone to fix that cooling and check out the case; if those USB ports aren't working, something was likely wired incorrectly from the start.

briskmaker7 said:I’m honestly a bit intimidated by the idea of cracking open the case myself.🤷

I have to admit, I was hoping at least some of this stuff would actually be worth keeping.🤔

Alright, if we swap out everything except the hard drive and SSD, what parts are we looking at?

Thanks.🙏

You could grab the processor, but you'll just end up replacing it again soon anyway. That architecture is eight years old.

If you jump to the next generation of Intel chips, you might be able to reuse the RAM and maybe even toss in another 4GB.

That's why I asked about the power supply. If it's a high-end unit, it might actually be worth saving.

Roger Gonzalez41 said:Look, I'm no pro, but it sounds like your CPU or its cooler is the culprit.
58°C is way too hot for an idle temp, assuming you haven't even overclocked it yet.
That explains why your fans are screaming like crazy.
The build itself isn't bad; that chip beats my old i5 750. You just need another 4GB stick of RAM, maybe a newer GPU, and someone to actually fix that cooling setup. As for those dead USB ports? Sounds like a loose connection from the jump.

And this is a solid plan too.

Keep the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and hard drive.

Add 4GB more RAM.

(And if your power supply is junk, grab a new one.)
Swap out the CPU cooler.
Throw in a new graphics card, and you're done.

Total cost should be around $150-$200.

Hmm... if I were you, I’d probably just pick up some used 4GB DDR3 sticks first($33) and grab a GTX 1050 Ti for the GPU—maybe even something better—just to see if that does the trick. That way, you wouldn't have to bother reinstalling Windows or tearing apart the motherboard and power supply. I guess that might carry you through until February, and then you could just swap out the whole platform once AMD Zen and Intel Kaby Lake finally hit the market.

crimsonstag84 said:Hmm... personally, I'd just grab another 4GB of used DDR3$33 and maybe a GTX 1050 Ti (or better) for the GPU, then see if that does the trick. No need to reinstall Windows or tear out the motherboard and PSU. That should carry me through until February, then I can swap the whole platform once AMD Zen and Intel Kaby Lake hit the market.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:You could reuse the CPU, but you're going to have to swap it out pretty soon anyway. It's an 8-year-old architecture.

If you move up to the next generation of Intel processors, you could probably reuse the RAM and just add another 4GB.

That’s why I asked about the power supply—if it’s a decent unit, you might be able to keep it.

Look, the CPU and even the GPU don't necessarily need replacing; something else is clearly wrong here.

These are the system requirements (Hearts of Iron IV is my most recent and heaviest one; everything before it is way easier on hardware)
http://store.steampowered.com/app/236850/

Basically, this rig already hits the "recommended" specs.

Based on my experience with Electronic Arts games, I'd definitely recommend adding another 4GB of RAM and making sure the game is installed on an SSD.

And what the guys are saying about temperatures? They're right. That could easily be the root cause—the CPU throttling because the cooling isn't doing its job.

Bottom line: there's really no point in replacing more than 20% of this build for Electronic Arts games, which aren't actually that heavy on the CPU or GPU. The lack of RAM and a slow drive are what's killing you.

These aren't games where you're fighting for a stable frame rate due to graphics; the bottleneck is map rendering. You could run them on a junk system, but as the map gets complex, everything slows down. Besides, you play these games using the pause button, so a brief FPS drop doesn't matter. What matters is that the data loads properly without stuttering, which has nothing to do with your GPU.

BTW, Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron are, in my opinion, the pinnacle of strategy games. They're a killer way to learn history (I still remember about 100 European provinces by heart from middle school).

crimsonstag84: What's this talk about Kaby Lake or Zen? There's no need for all that overkill when a modern i3 handles these games without breaking a sweat.

Given how much they cost, maybe an i5 for 1100-$400 wouldn't be your cup of tea? 😛

It’s almost certainly a basic stock cooler causing that noise, paired with a budget motherboard—you might even be seeing thermal throttling down to 1.4GHz, which would tank your performance. My guess is the power supply is total junk, but you should definitely double-check that first.

Like wiredotter14 mentioned, for those specific games, he doesn't really need to overhaul everything right now. That is, unless he moves on to newer, more demanding titles (which is bound to happen), especially within the same genres like Total War or Civ VI.

Total War and stuff like that? That's a whole different ballgame.

crimsonstag84, I’d be down for it, but if it’s not a necessity, better to just save the cash.

Alright, new developments. It’s probably for the best that I actually asked what kind of games we're talking about 😵.

We're looking at titles like Total War, Europa Universalis 4, Civilization V, and various iterations of SimCity and similar builds.

I assume that changes the hardware requirements significantly.

So, I'm leaning towards the conclusion that a more powerful processor is necessary, in addition to a better graphics card, right?

The real question is whether they're just playing the latest Total War: Warhammer or if they plan on tackling something more demanding.
If so, following the combo crimsonstag84 suggested above would be a smart move.

On the flip side, that CPU isn't actually terrible; it’d probably handle everything mentioned just fine. It might make more sense to just grab a newer, beefier graphics card and an extra 4GB of RAM. We just need to look into that cooling situation—looks like there's an issue with the current setup that could be easily fixed.

With that, you could go for a much stronger GPU:

Total War: Napoleon, Rome II, Shogun Total War

I’ll likely move on to more demanding titles down the road, so this setup needs to hold its own for at least a few years.

Alright, I won't take up any more of your time. If I stick to the original recommendation from crimsonstag84 involving an i5 processor, would that be sufficient? The price point works for me—hopefully they offer some financing options.

Do we actually need a physical DVD? Or is the one we already own going to suffice?

Which service provider or shop could handle the full assembly? They'd also need to inspect the current case to see if it's still viable. Looking for somewhere in Downtown Washington, D.C.

Crucial DDR4 8GB 2133 MHz P/N: CT8G4DFS8213
MSI Video Card GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC GDDR5 4GB/128bit, 1341MHz/7008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, DV
ASUS motherboard
Intel Core i5 6402

Total: $1182 Downtown

+ if a power supply is required:

You don't even need a DVD drive if you have a clock

You can just have them build it at the shop where you buy the parts, though I'm not sure if they'll charge you an assembly fee if you aren't buying the entire PC from them